


Are You With Me?

by eddie_dxaz



Category: 9-1-1
Genre: Angst, Bleeding, Buck and Eddie literally fall through the floor, Cave, Earthquakes, First Kiss, Lost Boys, M/M, Self-Sacrifice, bad call, buddie, firefam - Freeform, happy reunion, rough day, separated, worried 118 fam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:22:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22570075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eddie_dxaz/pseuds/eddie_dxaz
Summary: After an earthquake hits on call, both Eddie and Buck find themselves in two separate caves. One thinks one is safe, the other thinks one is hurt, or worse dead. Both fight to get back to their family.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Comments: 23
Kudos: 480





	Are You With Me?

**Author's Note:**

> Ahhh hi guys. It’s been a while. Sorry if this is bad.

It was just supposed to be a regular rescue mission. Two hikers had fallen into a hole and couldn’t climb out. By the time they arrived on scene Bobby was already barking out orders on how to get them out. Buck and Eddie were going in to get them out while Chim, Hen, and Bobby were going to stay above to deal with the aftermath.

“Hey, Buck?” Eddie says, furrowing his eyebrows.

Buck just hummed in response, focused on tying the rope onto the young woman. “Doesn’t the ground seem a little unstable to you?” He asked, kicking dirt to emphasize. 

The man just looked up at him, shaking his head. Hen watched the partners, trying to hold back a laugh at the little bicker they had about freaking dirt until the captain told them to knock it off. When would those two realize? They sounded more and more like a married couple every single day. The team went back to work.

Getting the hikers out was the easy part. Having them be all ready to be transported to the hospital? That was a different struggle. Especially since both swore that they were fine despite just falling into a twenty feet deep hole. “Nat and I are fine,” The man, David she’d learned, argues.

“Are you sure? It’s just to be cautious sir,” Hen sighs, treating the cut on his face.

The man looked like he was about to argue when a low rumble in the earth distracted them. Suddenly, everything was shaking. She heard a snap and Eddie calling out for Buck. There was a couple of panicked yells aimed back and forth at each other. Then after that, another set of snaps and two pairs of screams that faded away. Something was wrong. 

As soon as it stopped, all of the team ran to the hole that the two boys were just in. Hen stared in horror at the sight in front of her. Instead of seeing Buck and Eddie, there were two new gaping holes in the ground that seemed to have no bottom. Just darkness. 

She pulled at the rope that once held Diaz but felt no weight. Quickly, the paramedic tugged it all the way up. Horrified that there was nothing was on the other end, she turned her attention to her other coworkers. Chimney stared back at her with his brown eyes wide with terror before doing the same to Buck’s line. Again, nothing. 

“Eddie?! Buck?!” She called out, the sound echoing back. No answer. 

Bobby pulled up his radio, “Firefighters Buckley and Diaz, what is your status?”

Again, silence. This was definitely not good. Bobby called for backup but the look of defeat on his face occurred after they’d informed him that they were backed up due to the earthquake. They all allowed themselves to feel shocked for about five seconds before getting to work. 

“Let’s make this quick. They’re not responding and Buck is on blood thinners, so who knows how much time we have,” Bobby barks, setting up new lines. 

“What about-“ Hen stopped herself, turning to see the hikers gone, “Never mind.”

Chim and Hen get ready to go down. They only go so low before realizing the two holes are too deep and eventually slant. It would be impossible to get down there and up again, even if their ropes were long enough in the first place.

“It doesn’t go straight down, Cap. It turns into a sort of rockslide and who knows how long that goes for. Plus, I don’t have enough line to get all the way down there,” She informs after she climbed back up.

“Same for Buck’s side. The good news, though is that means they could lead to caves,” Chim notes, “If we find the ends of both of them, maybe we can get to them that way.” 

Bobby nods, “Alright. Let’s get some maps of the area and we’ll go from there.” 

***

Eddie woke up to the feeling of his back literally burning like it was on fire. There was dirt all around him. His head was pounding and he couldn’t even see his hands in front of his face. Where was he? What happened? He sat up, groaning. His back hurt like hell. 

He felt around, grabbing his phone out of his pocket. It emanated light but was totally shattered. “Are you serious?” He grumbled, moving it so he could see around him. 

Walls of stone surrounded the man. There was water glistening on its jutted edges that reflected off of the the little light coming from the screen. He twisted slightly and saw a helmet on the ground with a little light attached. Oh good. Eddie sets the helmet on his head, switching the light on so he could see better. 

Now, he was aware of the long corridor that lead to God-knows-where and the tiny opening in the wall with dirt spilling out of it. How the hell did he get here? 

The man looked down at his torn up hands that blood, both new and old, caked along with dirt. Suddenly it all came flooding back. 

_There was a loud snap over the sound of the earth shaking along with a yelp from his partner to the right of him. Instinctively he reached out. A hand caught his._

_Buck was hanging over a dark tunnel, the dirt that had just crumbled from underneath the man falling into nothingness. “Buck!” Eddie calls, grip tightening, “Don’t let go!”_

_The ground beneath him started to feel weak itself. “Eddie!” Buck cried out, blue eyes as wide as a deer’s in headlights. The blond tried to swing his other arm up to catch the one that belonged to Eddie but no avail. Panic was making its way up his throat. He couldn’t reach. The floor underneath him lurched slightly._

_Buck seemed to notice the other man couldn’t hold him without falling through the ground himself as a look of understanding came across his face. There was a moment where they just stared at each other, desperation very visible on Eddie’s features. The blond’s eyes got red, “I’m sorry...”_

_“Don’t you fucking dare, Buckley!”_

_The hand on his squeezes tighter. Evan swallowed, “I love you.”_

_Then, he let go. Eddie felt himself scrambling to catch the man, despite knowing it was too late. The screams, he swore, would haunt him for the rest of his life. He didn’t notice the second snap._

_Suddenly, he was falling too._

Eddie felt a knot form in his throat and a chill falling over him. Buck. Where was Buck? “Buck?!” He rasped out. 

The only response he got was his own voice hitting off of the walls. Just then, the severity of this situation and the loss hit him worse than any punch the man had ever received. What if Buck was dead? What if he died? What if Eddie didn’t make it out? What if Christopher grew up without a dad now too? Buck wouldn’t even be there to help the kid through it. All the hope that the other man was alive disintegrated once the realization that he was on blood thinners came crashing in. 

He didn’t say it back, either. Eddie never would get to hold the man in his arms again. Would never get that smile, those vibrant blue eyes. It was all gone. Why? Why did this have to be the end? No, he had to get out of here. If Buck was alive, he needed to have a very important talk with him. If he was dead... Well, Christopher was going to need his dad. 

After a bit, Eddie forced himself up onto his feet. A sharp pain shot up his whole left leg, starting at his ankle. A gasp escaped as the man toppled over from the really unpleasant surprise. He looked down. It was bent in an awkward angle. Great. 

The hole wasn’t an option. Too steep, especially with a possibly broken ankle. This was definitely a cave, though. So there had to be an end. 

Eddie started limping down the stone corridor. 

***

Buck shot up with a gasp, only to find he was blind. How the fuck did that happen? Every part of his body ached and that caused him to remember that he wasn’t actually blind, but probably in a hole somewhere. He searched for his helmet, a feeling of relief flooding over him as his hand hit a rounded object. 

Once the little beam of light lit the area, it was obvious that it wasn’t a hole but a cave. Alright, he could work with this. Buck has been in many sticky situations, including a fucking tsunami. A cave was nothing. 

At least he thought that until he saw the huge gash running up his arm. It was bleeding rapidly. Fuck. That could kill him. How has it not already? He quickly ripped off uniform shirt, wrapping it around the cut to stop the bleeding. Okay, now he really needed to get out of here. But to where? Maybe it would be easier for the team to find him if he stayed here.

Buck was contemplating it for a bit before reminding himself that he doesn’t even know where he is. The cut was bad. If he stayed put, he’d probably bleed out before they found him. Also the radio, it seemed, had been completely destroyed by the fall. So it looked like the only way out was walking. 

The blond got on his feet. The world immediately started dipping and slanting, possibly even swirling too. Okay, so there’s been a lot of blood loss. Not good. He started shuffling forward, hand skimming the harsh rock wall to support him. Eddie. 

He told Eddie he loved him. They would have a discussion about that later, probably. If Evan really wanted to cover that up, he could say he meant as a friend. Did he want to? 

That would all depend on how his partner responded to the confession. 

***  
Maddie found out later from the news. They were all watching it at work to see what the damage was when a “breaking news” sign flashed across the screen. “What can be more News breaking than an earthquake?” She inquired, looking at Josh.

The man shrugged. A park came on from helicopter view. There were two vehicles, one an ambulance, one a firetruck with the numbers “118” written on top. She sucked in a breath at the headline that stated there were two missing firefighters. 

“We interrupt local news to tell you about a story that just came in minutes ago. While we’re all dealing with the relief that this earthquake wasn’t a bad one, not all of us are so lucky. Station 118 was responding to a call about a pair of hikers that fell through a hole when the earthquake originally hit. Sadly, two of their firefighters, Evan Buckley and Edmundo Diaz, were sucked down underground after the floor had fell beneath them.”

He heart stopped as a picture of her brother and Eddie faded onto the screen. The world moved in slow motion. This couldn’t be happening. Not again. Her coworkers stared back at her with empathetic glances, as if that would fix this. It was a miracle that she heard what the news lady said next, “It’s been an hour and all attempts at finding the two have been unsuccessful. We tried to get Captain Robert Nash to speak but he refused to share any words with us, obviously more focused on finding his workers. We’ll keep you updated on this story.” 

The image went away and went back to the station. Now the news lady’s coworker, a man, added, “Do you blame him, though?” 

“Not at all,” She states, shaking her head, “I can’t even imagine what he must be feeling right now.” 

“No, especially because if you talk to any first responder, they’ll tell you that all of them are a close community. Basically family to each other. This is terrible. Those two were actually in the mini-documentary we had about first responders and Evan Buckley had appeared on our news channel two more times for other reasons. The most recent was him being crushed underneath a firetruck.” 

The lady gaped, “Are you serious? This kid doesn’t ever catch a break, it seems. I hope they find the two alive and well. They both appear to be very important additions to their station.”

Tears prickled Maddie’s vision. They had no idea how right they were. Buck never seems to catch a break. When everything is running smoothly again, something just has to happen to him again. After her boss told her to go home, she refused. She wouldn’t be much help lying at home doing nothing. At least work was a distraction and she was helping others who needed her. 

Wait, Maddie could help. The woman stepped aside, dialing her boyfriend’s number. She needed to give some info to him. Info that could save her brother. 

***

“I just got off the phone with Maddie,” Chim yells, “She gave me the password to her Life360 account? Apparently it will help us at least find Buck.”

“Yeah, it’s like an app where you can track people. I used to think it was kind of invasive but now... Not so much,” Bosco responds. She had been given to them for this specific call because they knew that the 118 was short and they’ve worked with her before. 

Hen straightens up. Honestly, that was the biggest break they’ve had in finding the boys all day. If luck was on their side, they were together. “I have Life360,” Bobby says, “We’ll log out of mine. May made all of us get it once she realized what it was because she wanted to make sure we were okay while at work and that we all got home safe.” 

As soon as they logged in, Buck’s location came up. He wasn’t directly underneath them like they thought and the little picture was moving. “Oh my God. He’s actually alive,” Chim states, his piece of gum smacking as he spoke. 

They both sort of glared at the man. “Chim, what does the map say about a cave where he’s at?” Bobby asks. 

The man pulls out the paper, searching for a second before showing the others where it opened at. Hen grabs the map, pointing to a spot on the complete opposite side of it, “The cave directly next to it opens here,” She utters, “That has to be where Eddie is if not with Buck.”

“Lena and Chim, you head to the second one while Hen and I go to the one where we know Buck is,” The captain demands, his face looking so much more relaxed than it had earlier when they had nothing. 

Lena breathes out, “Alright, lets go get your boys.” 

Just like that, they were running to where the two were. The crowd and news group that had gathered looked around in confusion as the officers, none of them being Athena, reminded them to stay behind the police line. 

***

Buck felt himself getting ready to collapse, similar to the tsunami. His body was fighting him to stop. But he knew that if he let himself rest, he’d never get back up. So the man kept stumbling forward, one foot in front of the other. His mind was racing with all of the people that cared about him that were probably worried right now. Maddie, Chim, Bobby, Hen, Eddie, Christopher. Maddie, Chim, Bobby, Hen, Eddie, Christopher.

Just like that, over and over again. The names were giving him the energy he didn’t have to get to them again. Almost like they were letting him borrow it for now. It worked. He wanted to go home. A light shone in the tunnel.

It was probably the moon. Just like like the other two times that there was a tiny crack within these walls. His bad leg was screaming at him and his eyelids felt like they were twenty pounds heavier than usual. Blood dripped from the makeshift bandage. The exposed arms had little goosebumps formed up and down them as the only shirt he had on was a tank top that goes underneath the uniform. His vision kept blurring. 

Maddie, Chim, Bobby, Hen, Eddie, Christopher. Maddie, Chim, Bobby- Bobby?! 

There the man was, shining a light directly at Buck. A breath the younger man hadn’t even known he was holding in left him, blowing past his lips shakily. “Bobby,” He croaked out, pushing lazily off the wall. 

That was the first time he’d heard his voice in hours. It was like it didn’t even belong him. But that didn’t matter. Not with Bobby right here. He stumbled forward just as the older man strode towards him. Buck let himself collapse in the man’s arms. 

They pulled away. Hen came into vision, a smile on her face as she greeted, “Hey, Buckaroo. We’ve gotta stop finding you like this. All bloody and covered in dirt.”

Buck wrapped his arms around his friend, a laugh escaping him. They were here. They found him. Once they’re away from each other again, three voices fill the cave asking the same exact question, “Where’s Eddie?”

Then silence. Now, three pairs of bewildered eyes stare at each other. Buck was the first to speak, “He’s not with you?”

“No, he fell through seconds after you did,” Hen informs, “I guess you both ended up in two different caves after all.”

The world abruptly stopped. No. This wasn’t right. He thought he saved him. Buck stumbled backwards, a hand grabbing his arm to steady him. The man chokes, “No, I let go. I let go to save him. I knew he couldn’t hold my weight without going through himself so I let go and accepted that it was the end of the line for me. Now you’re telling me he fell through too?”

Bobby stares at Buck like he had just said he set the entire department on fire because someone told him to, “You what?”

“I let go of his hand, okay Bobby? I sacrificed myself for him because the thought of both of us dying and leaving Christopher without anyone destroyed me. The thought of him dying...” The injured firefighter paused, tears brimming his eyes, “I just couldn’t stand to think of it. I did what I had to.”

Hen’s heart broke at the desperation in their friend’s voice. The guilt on his face and the hopelessness that had reflected in the blue orbs. She completely understood it. She had no idea what she would feel if it had been her and Karen instead. When did they start comparing Buck and Eddie to actual couples? They couldn’t tell you. But the way Buck looked now, told them they weren’t that far from what was really happening there. 

“Is he dead?” The blond asked. 

“Not that we know of. We have Chim and Lena looking in another cave,” Bobby sighs, “We’re not done talking about this, though. Are you hurt?”

Buck looked at the ground before showing his arm. Hen immediately got to inspecting it. It was bleeding rapidly and the unform was hardly stopping it at this point. How the hell was the man standing? 

She looked up, “Buck, how the hell are you still alive?” 

That’s when she noticed the paleness to the man’s face, the haze to his eyes, and how his limbs seemed to weight him down. “I had to find you guys,” A dopey smile appeared on his face.

The sheer force of stubborn will could be a helluva life saver sometimes. It’s kept a lot of people going. “Well you did. Now let’s get you to a hospital before it’s too late,” Bobby states.

“No hospital. I have to wait for Eddie,” Buck argues, “I’m not leaving this area until I know he’s alive or dead.”

Bobby rolled his eyes, radioing to the team that they found Buck but not the other man.

***

Chim sighed in relief at the sound of Bobby’s voice informing them the younger Buckley was okay. Lena mumbles, “One down. One to go. Where are you, Diaz?” 

They stood at the mouth of the cave. The sun had gone down a bit ago so there was no light filtering in but the dim moon. The two made eye contact before stepping in, calling out for their friend and coworker as they did so. A bit of shuffling was heard. 

They saw slightly in the shadows, a figure hobbling towards them. A light of its own rested on its head. “Eddie?” Chim calls. 

“Chim! You don’t know how glad I am to see you,” The familiar voice claims back. Immediately the two rush to the man, wrapping each of his arms around their shoulders. 

“The same goes for you, bud,” The man laughs back, starting to walk, “You okay, other than the obviously broken ankle?”

Eddie flinches, “That obvious, huh? My hands are a little torn up from when I fell, but nothing too bad. I somehow to manage survive plunging down a hole into some random cave, so I’d say I’m doing great, all things considered.”

They chuckle. It’s been a tough day, no doubt about that but all of the 118 was alive and accounted for. Which, to them, is a win. 

“We’re just glad you’re alive, Diaz,” Lena smiles, “You gave your team quite the scare.”

Suddenly Eddie halts, “Buck-“

“Is alive. He’s alive, Eddie. In a lot of trouble and refusing to go to the hospital yet but alive,” Chim cuts the man off, “You’re both okay.” 

***

“We’ve gotten news on the two firefighters,” The lady says through the T.V. speakers. All of the 911 operators that weren’t busy turn their attention to the screen. Maddie felt like she was sitting on the edge of her seat. 

“Both are alive and accounted for. We’re actually heading to Johnathan who is at the scene right now where Evan Buckley is as they wait for Edmundo Diaz. How’s it going, John?”

Maddie’s knees felt weak. 

John responds, “Thanks Linda, it’s going great. It’s always heartwarming to hear that stories like this have a happy ending. Evan is actually sitting on the truck, waiting for his partner and refusing to go to the hospital until he sees he’s okay. That’s true friendship, if you ask me.”

Josh rolls his eyes next to her, mouthing “friendship”. She would laugh if her vision wasn’t blurred from tears of relief after seeing the camera zoom in on her little brother, who was getting a full examination from Hen. Buck suddenly stands up, the lens snaps to three figures walking slowly up the hill. Well, two were walking, the other in the middle was getting practically dragged. 

***

Buck stands, pushing Hen’s hand away lightly as he sees him. Eddie. He was being helped by Lena and Chimney. A pair of brown eyes met his. “Buck!” He yells, ripping away from the two and limping towards him. 

Buck didn’t care about the fact that he felt like he was dying in that moment. Didn’t care that the world was tilting, fuzzy, and spinning. They had slowed the bleeding’s pace down, but it still was going. He didn’t even care about that. “Eddie!” He shouts in return, running for the man.

His heart was going faster than it ever felt like it had. Eddie was alive. Everything moved slowly until they crashed into each other, arms squeezing so tight like they both were afraid to let go. Buck took in the scent that was just Eddie. All of the heaviness has immediately left his body and the blond felt all life return once again. A hand had made its way onto the back of his head, grounding him. Evan couldn’t help the tears streaming down his face. 

“I thought you were dead,” Eddie whispers into his neck before pulling away and resting their foreheads together. 

Buck closed his eyes, “I know. But I’m not. I’m here.” 

The brunet separated them. The blue eyes shot open again to see a look of disapproval across his best friends face. “Despite your best efforts,” He scoffed, placing his hands on either side of his partner’s cheeks, “Don’t do it again.”

If it wasn’t for the glee of seeing Eddie, Buck would overthink the hell out of this intimacy. But as he gripped at the dirt covered wrist, he wasn’t thinking at all. “Okay,” The man whispered in response. 

Eddie then surged forward, attaching their lips. They forgot about everyone around them, about the injuries, and the fact that they both were exhausted. It was just them at this moment. The kiss held all of the fear from the past couple of hours but there was also every other emotion they’ve felt for each other that was left unspoken for a year or two now. There was support, happiness, and love. Buck almost didn’t have this. 

He’s grateful he didn’t die. 

***

Maddie stares at the reunion of the two on screen, a grin plastered on her face. First of all, finally. Second of all, they were okay. Buck had survived yet another life threatening situation with no visible life-altering injuries. Sure, the truck was close. Yet, he still got back to his life after all of the shit the younger sibling went through. Eddie pulled away and Buck wrapped his arm around the man, helping him to the ambulance. 

The camera went back to the reporter, who had an expression on his face that resembled nothing but shock. Josh smirked, “I bet he feels like an idiot.”

Maddie does laugh this time.


End file.
